A rare auction entirely dedicated to Maria Vassilieff brings back to the forefront a forgotten protagonist of the golden age of Montparnasse, thanks to a unique, exceptional private collection.
Who was Maria Vassilieff
Born in Russia in 1884, Maria Vassilieff arrived in Paris in 1905 and quickly integrated into the avant-garde. She attended the studio of Henri Matisse, with whom she became friends, and participated in the artistic life of the neighborhood.
When Matisse’s atelier closed, the artist opened her Académie Vassilieff on avenue du Maine. Around this space, much of the Montparnasse community organized, to the point that, according to legend, Douanier Rousseau even asked her to marry him.
In 1915, she decided to temporarily return to Russia. She stayed there briefly, but long enough to participate in the historic exhibition 0,10, where Kazimir Malevič presented the famous Black Square on White Background, now considered a turning point in abstract art.
How was Claude Bernès’ collection formed?
The core going to auction comes entirely from the collection of Claude Bernès. In the 1970s, the collector purchased some works by this Russian-born artist at a public sale and was fascinated by them.
From that moment, he dedicated over forty years to identifying and gathering paintings, drawings, documents, and objects related to Vassilieff. Additionally, he systematically reconstructed her biography, becoming a true reference point for galleries and auction houses, which turned to him for consultations and verifications.
The result is a collection of more than 100 works, preserved in an apartment in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. The variety of pieces allows today to trace, almost year by year, the stylistic evolution of the artist between the two wars and beyond.
What do the images of bohemian life in Montparnasse tell?
Returning to Paris in 1917, Vassilieff found her place again in the Montparnasse scene. A drawing from the Bernès collection depicts her in the canteen she founded during the First World War, which became a meeting place for artists and writers.
The scene captures a banquet organized to celebrate the return from the front of Georges Braque. Around the table appear figures like Pablo Picasso, Blaise Cendrars, and again Matisse, while a furious Amedeo Modigliani remains excluded, annoyed by the presence of rival Alfred Pina, sitting next to his ex-wife.
These images testify not only to the social centrality of the artist but also to her ability to observe and narrate, with a mix of irony and acumen, the dynamics of the Parisian milieu between the two wars.
How versatile was Vassilieff’s artistic practice?
The collection highlights a surprisingly broad practice. In addition to paintings and drawings, Vassilieff created numerous dolls inspired by friends and acquaintances, assembled with cardboard, fabric scraps, rodhoid, and other humble materials.
According to auctioneer Aymeric Rouillac, fashion designer Paul Poiret encouraged her in this direction. The artist designed a perfume bottle for him, then dedicated herself to costume workshops, advertising posters for dances, and stage sets.
In 1927, she also decorated two pillars of the famous brasserie La Coupole on boulevard du Montparnasse, now considered a symbolic place of Parisian nightlife. The intervention confirms her role in defining the visual imagination of the 1920s.
From portrait to ceramics: a language in continuous transformation
Among the most significant works in the collection is the Self-portrait with Doll from 1929, oil on panel measuring 54.5 x 35.5 cm, which combines psychological introspection and theatrical vocation. The painting testifies to the link between her painting and the three-dimensional fabric figures.
In the 1940s, the artist approached ceramics, with which she created both tableware and sculptures. This shift confirms a tendency for continuous experimentation, far from the rigid labels of historical movements.
Having retired from the scene in the 1950s, Vassilieff passed away in 1957 and is buried in Nogent-sur-Marne. Despite her connections with avant-garde protagonists, her figure gradually slipped to the margins of the canon.
Why is the Maria Vassilieff auction a key moment in the market
On June 6, Aymeric Rouillac will organize a day of auction entirely dedicated to Vassilieff, built around the Bernès collection. Estimates have not yet been made public, but some market parameters already exist.
Last May, the Bukowski auction house in Stockholm sold the oil on panel Pierrot sa maman et son chat from 1929 for €36,016 (including fees). However, Rouillac notes that the current context indicates divergent trends.
On one hand, there is the “absence of Russian collectors who supported this market.” On the other, there is a “recovery effect” for still under-recognized female artists, which is influencing international sales, as shown by data from specialized platforms.
What are the prospects for the rediscovery of Maria Vassilieff
The sale orchestrated by Rouillac represents a testing ground for the critical and economic reevaluation of Marie Vassilieff. A single collection, rigorously built over decades, indeed allows for a comprehensive and coherent reading of her journey.
Moreover, the growing interest in forgotten protagonists of the avant-garde pushes institutions and collectors to fill historical gaps. In this context, a monographic auction day can significantly impact the perception of an artist in the medium term.
Overall, the dispersal of the Bernès collection marks a decisive step: from private heritage, this corpus opens up to museums and international collections, offering new opportunities for study and comparison with the masters of Montparnasse.
As expert in digital marketing, Amelia began working in the fintech sector in 2014 after writing her thesis on Bitcoin technology. Previously author for several international crypto-related magazines and CMO at Eidoo. She is now the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Cryptonomist and Econique.
She is also a marketing teacher at Digital Coach in Milan and she published a book about NFTs for the Italian publishing house Mondadori, while she is also helping artists and company to entering in the sector. As advisor, Amelia is also involved in metaverse-related project such as The Nemesis and OVER.
